The Katha Sarit Sagara or Ocean of the Streams of Story Part 67

In the meanwhile an unmarried Vidyadhari, of the name of Vegavati, having beheld Madanamanchuka in her splendid and glorious beauty, deliberately took her shape, and came and stood alone in the garden under an asoka-tree. Marubhuti saw her, as he was roaming about in search of the queen, and she seemed at once to extract the dart from his pierced heart. And in his joy he went to Naravahanadatta, and said to him, "Cheer up, I have seen your beloved in the garden." When he said this, Naravahanadatta was delighted, and immediately went with him to that garden.

Then, exhausted with long bereavement, he beheld that semblance of Madanamanchuka, with feelings like those with which a thirsty traveller beholds a stream of water. And the moment he beheld her, the much afflicted prince longed to embrace her, but she, being cunning and wis.h.i.+ng to be married by him, said to him, "Do not touch me now, first hear what I have to say. Before I married you, I prayed to the Yakshas to enable me to obtain you, and said, 'On my wedding-day I will make offerings to you with my own hand.' But, my beloved, when my wedding-day came, I forgot all about them. That enraged the Yakshas, and so they carried me off from this place. And they have just brought me here, and let me go, saying, 'Go and perform over again that ceremony of marriage, and make oblations to us, and then repair to your husband; otherwise you will not prosper.' So marry me quickly, in order that I may offer the Yakshas the wors.h.i.+p they demand; and then fulfil all your desire."

When Naravahanadatta heard that, he summoned the priest Santisoma and at once made the necessary preparations, and immediately married the supposed Madanamanchuka, who was no other than the Vidyadhari Vegavati, having been for a short time quite cast down by his separation from the real one. Then a great feast took place there, full of the clang of cymbals, delighting the king of Vatsa, gladdening the queens, and causing joy to Kahngasena. And the supposed Madanamanchuka, who was really the Vidyadhari Vegavati, made with her own hand an offering of wine, flesh, and other dainties to the Yakshas. Then Naravahanadatta, remaining with her in her chamber, drank wine with her in his exultation, though he was sufficiently intoxicated with her voice. And then he retired to rest with her, who had thus changed her shape, as the sun with the shadow. And she said to him in secret, "My beloved, now that we have retired to rest, you must take care not to unveil my face suddenly and look at me while asleep [523]." When the prince heard this, he was filled with curiosity, to think what this might be, and the next day he uncovered her face while she was asleep, and looked at it, and lo! it was not Madanamanchuka, but some one else, who, when asleep, had lost the power of disguising her appearance by magic. [524] Then she woke up, while he was sitting by her awake. And he said to her, "Tell me, who are you?" And the discreet Vidyadhari seeing him sitting up awake, and being conscious that she was in her own shape and that her secret was discovered, began to tell her tale saying, "Listen, my beloved, I will now tell you the whole story."

"There is in the city of the Vidyadharas a mountain of the name of ashadhapura. There dwells a chief of the Vidyadharas, named Manasavega, a prince puffed up with the might of his arm, the son of king Vegavat. I am his younger sister, and my name is Vegavati. And that brother of mine hated me so much that he was not willing to bestow on me the sciences. Then I obtained them, though with difficulty, from my father, who had retired to a wood of ascetics, and, thanks to his favour, I possess them of greater power than any other of our race. I myself saw the wretched Madanamanchuka, in the palace of mount ashadha, in a garden, surrounded by sentinels, I mean your beloved, whom my brother has carried off by magic, as Ravana carried off the afflicted Sita, the wife of Ramabhadra. And as the virtuous lady repels his caresses, he cannot subdue her to his will, for a curse has been laid upon him, that will bring about his death, if he uses violence to any woman.

"So that wicked brother of mine made use of me, to try and talk her over; and I went to that lady, who could do nothing but talk of you. And in my conversation with her, that virtuous lady mentioned your name, [525] which was like a command from the G.o.d of Love, and thus my mind then became fixed upon you alone. And then I remembered an announcement which Parvati made to me in a dream, much to the following effect, 'You shall be married to that man the mere hearing of whose name overpowers you with love.' When I had called this to mind, I cheered up Madanamanchuka, and came here in her form, and married myself to you by an artifice. So come, my beloved, I am filled with such compa.s.sion for your wife Madanamanchuka that I will take you where she is; for I am the devoted servant of my rival, even as I am of you, because you love her. For I am so completely enslaved by love for you, that I am rendered quite unselfish by it."

When Vegavati had said this, she took Naravahanadatta, and by the might of her science flew up with him into the sky during the night. And next morning, while she was slowly travelling through the heaven, the attendants of the husband and wife were bewildered by their disappearance. And when the king of Vatsa came to hear of it, he was immediately, as it were, struck by a thunderbolt, and so were Vasavadatta, Padmavati and the rest. And the citizens, and the king's ministers Yaugandharayana and the others, together with their sons Marubhuti and the rest, were altogether distracted.

Then the hermit Narada, surrounded with a circle of light, descended there from heaven, like a second sun. The king of Vatsa offered him the arghya, and the hermit said to him, "Your son has been carried off by a Vidyadhari to her country, but he will soon return; and I have been sent by Siva to cheer you up." And after this prelude he went on to tell the king of Vegavati's proceedings, exactly as they took place; then the king recovered his spirits and the hermit disappeared.

In the meanwhile Vegavati carried Naravahanadatta through the air to the mountain ashadhapura. And Manasavega, hearing of it, hastened there to kill them both. Then Vegavati engaged with her brother in a struggle which was remarkable for a great display of magic power; for a woman values her lover as her life, and much more than her own relations. Then she a.s.sumed by the might of her magic a terrible form of Bhairava, and at once striking Manasavega senseless, she placed him on the mountain of Agni. [526] And she took Naravahanadatta, whom at the beginning of the contest she had deposited in the care of one of her sciences, [527] and placed him in a dry well in the city of the Gandharvas, to keep him. And when he was there, she said to him, "Remain here a little while, my husband; good fortune will befall you here; and do not despond in your heart, O man appointed to a happy lot, for the sovereignty over all the Vidyadharas is to be yours. But I must leave this for the present, to appease my sciences, impaired by my resistance to my elder brother; however, I will return to you soon." When the Vidhyadhari Vegavati had said this, she departed somewhere or other.

CHAPTER CVI.

Then a certain Gandharva, of the name of Vinadatta, saw Naravahanadatta in that well. Truly if there were not great souls in this world, born for the benefit of others, relieving distress as wayside trees heat, the world would be a withered forest. Thus the good Gandharva, as soon as he saw Naravahanadatta, asked him his name and lineage, and supporting him with his hand, drew him out of that well, and said to him, [528] "If you are a man and not a G.o.d, how did you reach this city of the Gandharvas inaccessible to man? Tell me!" Then Naravahanadatta answered him, "A Vidyadhari brought me here, and threw me into the well by her power." Then the good Gandharva Vinadatta, seeing that he had the veritable signs of an emperor, took him to his own dwelling, and waited upon him with all the luxuries at his command. And the next day, Naravahanadatta, perceiving that the inhabitants of the city carried lyres in their hands, said to his host, "Why have all these people, even down to the children, got lyres in their hands?" [529]

Then Vinadatta gave him this answer, "Sagaradatta the king of the Gandharvas, who lives here, has a daughter named Gandharvadatta, who eclipses the nymphs of heaven; it seems as if the Creator had blended nectar, the moon, and sandalwood, and other choice things, in order to compose her body, as a specimen of his skill in making all that is fair. She is always singing to the lyre the hymn of Vishnu, which the G.o.d himself bestowed on her, and so she has attained supreme skill in music. [530] And the princess has firmly resolved that whoever is so well skilled in music, that he can play on the lyre, and sing perfectly in three scales a song in praise of Vishnu, shall be her husband. The consequence is, that all here are trying to learn to play the lyre, but they have not acquired the amount of skill demanded by the princess."

Prince Naravahanadatta was delighted at hearing this speech from the mouth of Vinadatta and he said to him, "All the accomplishments have chosen me for a husband, and I know all the music, that there is in the three worlds." When he said this, his friend Vinadatta conducted him into the presence of king Sagaradatta, and said there, "Here is Naravahanadatta, the son of the king of Vatsa, who has fallen into your city from the hand of a Vidyadhari. He is an adept in music, and he knows the song in praise of Vishnu, in which the princess Gandharvadatta takes so much pleasure." When the king heard this, he said, "It is true; I heard so much before from the Gandharvas; so I must to-day receive him with respect here. And he is an emanation of a divinity; he is not out of place in the abode of G.o.ds; otherwise, if he were a man, how could he have come here by a.s.sociating with a Vidyadhari? So summon Gandharvadatta quickly and let us test him." When the king said this, the chamberlains went to fetch her.

And the fair one came there, all glorious with flower-ornaments, agitating with her beauty, as if with a wind, the creepers of spring. She sat down at her father's side, and the servants told her what had taken place, and immediately, at his command, she sang a song to the lyre. When she was joining the notes to the quarter-tones, like Sarasvati the wife of Brahma, Naravahanadatta was astonished at her singing and her beauty. Then he said to her, "Princess, your lyre does not seem to me to sound well, I think there must be a hair on the string." Thereupon the lyre was examined, and they found the hair where he said, and that astonished even the Gandharvas. Then the king took the lyre from his daughter's hand, and gave it to him, saying, "Prince, take this, and pour nectar into our ears." Then he played on it, and sang the hymn of Vishnu with such skill that the Gandharvas there became motionless as painted pictures.

Then Gandharvadatta herself threw on him a look tender with affection, as it were a garland of full-blown blue lotuses, [531] and therewith chose him as her husband. When the king saw it, and called to mind his promise of that import, he at once gave him his daughter Gandharvadatta in marriage. As for the wedding that thereupon took place, gladdened by the drums of the G.o.ds and other festal signs, to what could we compare it, as it served as the standard by which to estimate all similar rejoicings? Then Naravahanadatta lived there with his new bride Gandharvadatta in heavenly bliss.

And one day he went out to behold the beauty of the city, and after he had seen all kinds of places, he entered the park attached to it. There he saw a heavenly female descending from the sky with her daughter, like the lightning with the rain in a cloudless atmosphere. And she was saying to her daughter, as she descended, recognising him by her knowledge, "This, my daughter, is your future husband, the son of the king of Vatsa." "When he saw her alight and come towards him, he said to her, "Who are you, and why have you come?" And the heavenly female said to him, thus introducing the object of her desire:

"Prince, I am Dhanavati, the wife of a chief of the Vidyadharas, named Sinha, and this is my unmarried daughter, the sister of Chandasinha, and her name is Ajinavati. You were announced as her future husband by a voice that came from heaven. Then, learning by my magic science, that you, the future emperor of the Vidyadharas, had been deposited here by Vegavati, I came to tell you my desire. You ought not to remain in such a place as this which is accessible to the Vidyadharas, for they might slay you out of enmity, as you are alone, and have not obtained your position of emperor. So come, let us now take you to a land which is inaccessible to them. Does not the moon delay to s.h.i.+ne, when the circle of the sun is eclipsed? And when the auspicious day arrives you shall marry this daughter of mine." When she had said this, she took him and flew up into the air with him, and her daughter accompanied them. And she took him to the city of Sravasti, and deposited him in a garden, and then she disappeared with her daughter Ajinavati.

There king Prasenajit, who had returned from a distant hunting expedition, saw that prince of n.o.ble form and feature. The king approached him full of curiosity, and asked him his name and lineage, and then, being much delighted, courteously conducted him to his palace. It was full of troops of elephants, adorned with lines of horses, and looked like a pavilion for the Fortune of empire to rest in, when wearied with her wanderings. Wherever a man born to prosperity may be, felicities eagerly approach him, as women do their beloved one. This accounts for the fact that the king, being an admirer of excellence, gave Naravahanadatta his own daughter, named Bhagirathayasas. And the prince lived happily there with her in great luxury, as if with Good Fortune created by the Disposer in flesh and blood for his delectation.

One evening, when the lover of the night had arisen, raining joy into the eyes of men, looking like the full-orbed face [532] of the nymph of the eastern quarter, or rather the countenance of Bhagirathayasas charming as nectar, reflected in the pure mirror of the cloudless heaven, he drank wine with that fair one at her request on the top of a palace silvered over with the elixir of moonlight. He quaffed the liquor which was adorned with the reflection of his beloved's face, and so gave pleasure to his eyes as well as to his palate. And then he considered the moon as far inferior in beauty to his charmer's face, for it wanted the intoxicating [533] play of the eyes and eyebrows. And after his drinking-bout was over he went inside the house, and retired to his couch with Bhagirathayasas.

Then Naravahanadatta awoke from sleep, while his beloved was still sleeping, and suddenly calling to mind his home, exclaimed, "Through love for Bhagirathayasas I have, so to speak, forgotten my other wives; how can that have happened? But in this too Fate is all-powerful. Far away too are my ministers. Of them Marubhuti takes pleasure in nought but feats of prowess, and Harisikba is exclusively devoted to policy; of those two I do not now feel the need, but it grieves me that the dexterous Gomukha, who has been my friend in all emergencies, is far away from me." While he was thus lamenting, he suddenly heard the words "Ah! how sad!" uttered in a low soft tone, like that of a woman, and they at once banished sleep. When he heard them, he got up, and lighted a candle, and looked about, and he saw in the window a lovely female face. It seemed as if the Disposer had determined out of playfulness to show him a second but spotless moon not in the sky, as he had that night seen the spot-beflecked moon of heaven. And not being able to discern the rest of her body, but eager to behold it, his eyes being attracted by her beauty, he immediately said to himself, "Long ago, when the Daitya atapin was impeding the creation of Brahma, that G.o.d employed the artifice of sending him to Nandana, saying to him, 'Go there and see a very curious sight;' and when he got there, he saw only the foot of a woman, which was of wonderful beauty; and so he died from an insane desire to see the rest of her body. [534]

In the same way it may be that the Disposer has produced this lady's face only to bring about my destruction." While he was making this momentary surmise, the lady displayed her shoot-like finger at the window, and beckoned to him to come towards her.

Then he deliberately went out of the chamber in which his beloved was sleeping, and with eager impatience approached that heavenly lady: and when he came near, she exclaimed, "Madanamanchuka, they say that your husband is in love with another woman: alas! you are undone." When Naravahanadatta heard this, he called to mind his beloved, and the fire of separation flamed up in his bosom, and he said to that fair one, "Who are you? Where did you see my beloved Madanamanchuka? And why have you come to me? Tell me!" Then the bold lady took the prince away to a distance in the night, and saying to him, "Hear the whole story,"

she thus began to speak.

"There is in the city of Pushkaravati a prince of the Vidyadharas named Pingalagandhara, who has become yellow with continually adoring the fire. Know that I am his unmarried daughter, named Prabhavati, for he obtained me by the special favour of the G.o.d of fire, who was pleased with his adoration. I went to the city of Ashadbapura to visit my friend Vegavati, and I did not find her there, as she had gone somewhere to perform asceticism. But hearing from her mother Prithividevi that your beloved Madanamanchuka was there, I went to her. I beheld her emaciated with fasting, pale and squalid, with only one lock, weeping, talking only of your virtues, surrounded by tearful bands of Vidyadhara princesses, who were divided between grief produced by seeing her, and joy produced by hearing of you. She told me what you were like, and I comforted her by promising to bring you, for my mind was overpowered by pity for her, and attracted by your excellences. And finding out by means of my magic skill that you were here at present, I came to you, to inserve her interests and my own also. But when I found that you had forgotten your first love and were talking here of other persons, I bewailed the lot of that wife of yours, and exclaimed 'Ah! how sad!'"

When the prince had been thus addressed by her, he became impatient and said, "Take me where she is, and impose on me whatever command you think fit." When the Vidyadhari Prabhavati heard that, she flew up into the air with him, and proceeded to journey on through the moonlit night. And as she was going along, she saw a fire burning in a certain place, so she took Naravahanadatta's hand, and moved round it, keeping it on the right. In this way the bold lady managed by an artifice to go through the ceremony of marriage with Naravahanadatta, for all the actions of heavenly beings have some important end in view. [535]

Then she pointed out to her beloved from the sky the earth looking like a sacrificial platform, the rivers like snakes, the mountains like ant-hills, and many other wonders did she show him from time to time, until at last she had gradually accomplished a long distance.

Then Naravahanadatta became thirsty with his long journey through the air, and begged for water; so she descended to earth from her airy path. And she took him to the corner of a forest, and placed him near a lake, which seemed to be full of molten silver, as its water was white with the rays of the moon. So his craving for water was satisfied by the draught which he drank in that beautiful forest, but there arose in him a fresh craving as he felt a desire to embrace that lovely lady. [536] But she, when pressed, would hardly consent; for her thoughts reverted with pity to Madanamanchuka, whom she had tried to comfort; in truth the n.o.ble-minded, when they have undertaken to forward the interests of others, put out of sight their own. And she said to him, "Do not think ill, my husband, of my coldness; I have an object in it; and now hear this story which will explain it."

Story of the child that died of a broken heart because his mother forgot to bring him a sweetmeat.

Once on a time, there lived in the city of Pataliputra a certain widow who had one child; she was young, and beautiful, but poor. And she was in the habit of making love to a strange man for her gratification, and at night she used to leave her house and roam where she pleased. But, before she went, she used invariably to console her infant son by saying to him, "My boy, I will bring you a sweetmeat to-morrow morning," and every day she brought him one. And the child used to remain quiet at home, buoyed up by the hope of that sweetmeat.

But one day she forgot, and did not bring him the sweetmeat. And when the child asked for the sweetmeat, she said to him, "Sweetmeat indeed! I know of no sweet, but my sweetheart." Then the child said to himself, "She has not brought me a sweetmeat, because she loves another better than me." So he lost all hope, and his heart broke.

"So if I were over-eager to appropriate you whom I have long loved, and if Madanamanchuka, whom I consoled with the hope of a joyful reunion with you, were to hear of it, and lose all hope through me, her heart, which is as soft as a flower, would break. [537] It is this desire to spare her feelings, which prevents me from being so eager now for your society, before I have consoled her, though you are my beloved, dearer to me than life."

When Prabhavati said this to Naravahanadatta, he was full of joy and astonishment, and he said to himself, "Well! Fate seems to take a pleasure in perpetually creating new marvels, since it has produced Prabhavati, whose conduct is so inconceivably n.o.ble." With these thoughts in his mind, the prince lovingly praised her, and said, "Then take me where that Madanamanchuka is." When Prabhavati heard that, she took him up, and in a moment carried him through the air to the mountain ashadhapura. There she bestowed him on Madanamanchuka, whose body had long been drying up with grief, as a shower bestows fullness on a river.

Then Naravahanadatta beheld that fair one there, afflicted with separation, thin and pale, like a digit of the new moon. That reunion of those two seemed to restore them to life, and gave joy to the world, like the union of the night and the moon. And the pair embraced, scorched with the fire of separation, and as they were streaming with fatigue, they seemed to melt into one. Then they both partook at their ease of luxuries suddenly provided in the night by the might of Prabhavati's science. And thanks to her science, no one there but Madanamanchuka, saw Naravahanadatta.

The next morning Naravahanadatta proceeded to loose Madanamanchuka's one lock, [538] but she, overpowered with resentment against her enemy, said to her beloved, "Long ago I made this vow, 'That lock of mine must be loosed by my husband, when Manasavega is slain, but not till then; and if he is not slain, I will wear it till my death, and then it shall be loosed by the birds, or consumed with fire.' But now you have loosed it, while this enemy of mine is still alive; that vexes my soul. For though Vegavati flung him down on Agniparvata, he did not die of the fall. And you have now been made invisible here by Prabhavati by means of her magic power; otherwise the followers of that enemy, who are continually moving near you here, would see you, and would not tolerate your presence."

When Naravahanadatta had been thus addressed by his wife, he, recognising the fact that the proper time for accomplis.h.i.+ng his object had not yet arrived, said to her by way of calming her, "This desire of yours shall be fulfilled; I will soon slay that enemy; but first I must acquire the sciences; wait a little, my beloved." With speeches of this kind Naravahanadatta consoled Madanamanchuka; and remained there in that city of the Vidyadharas.

Then Prabhavati disappeared herself, and, by the power of her magic science, bestowed in some incomprehensible way on Naravahanadatta her own shape. And the prince lived happily there in her shape, and without fear of discovery, enjoying pleasures provided by her magic science. And all the people there thought, "This friend of Vegavati's is attending on Madanamanchuka, partly out of regard for Vegavati, and partly on account of the friendly feelings which she herself entertains for the captive princess;" for they all supposed that Naravahanadatta was no other than Prabhavati, as he was disguised in her shape: and this was the report that they carried to Manasavega. Then, one day, something caused Madanamanchuka to relate to Naravahanadatta her adventures in the following words,

Madanamanchuka's account of her treatment while in captivity.

When Manasavega first brought me here, he tried to win me to his will by his magic power, endeavouring to alarm me by cruel actions. And then Siva appeared in a terrible form, with drawn sword and lolling tongue, and making an appalling roar, said to Manasavega; "How is it that, while I still exist, thou dost presume to treat disrespectfully the wife of him who is destined to be emperor over all the Vidyadhara kings?" When the villain Manasavega had been thus addressed by Siva, he fell on the earth vomiting blood from his mouth. Then the G.o.d disappeared, and that villain immediately recovered, and went to his own palace, and again began to practise cruelties against me. [539]

Then in my terror, and in the agony of separation, I was thinking of abandoning my life, but the attendants of the harem came to me, and said to me by way of consolation, "Long ago this Manasavega beheld a certain beautiful hermit maiden and tried to carry her off by force but was thus cursed by her relations; 'When, villain, you approach another's wife against her will, your head shall split into a thousand fragments;' so he will never force himself on the wife of another, do not be afraid. Moreover you will soon be reunited with your husband, as the G.o.d announced." Soon after the maids had said this to me, Vegavati, the sister of that Manasavega, came to me to talk me over; but when she saw me, she was filled with compa.s.sion, and she comforted me by promising to bring you; and you already know how she found you.

Then Prithividevi, the good mother of that wicked Manasavega, came to me, looking, with her garments white as moonlight, like the orb of Luna without a spot, seeming to bathe me with nectar by her charming appearance; and with a loving manner she said to me, "Why do you refuse food and so injure your bodily health, though you are destined to great prosperity? And do not say to yourself, 'How can I eat an enemy's food?' For my daughter Vegavati has a share in this kingdom, bestowed on her by her father, and she is your friend, for your husband has married her. Accordingly her wealth, as belonging to your husband, is yours as much as hers. So enjoy it. What I tell you is true, for I have discovered it by my magic knowledge." This she said, and confirmed it with an oath, and then, being attached to me, on account of her daughter's connexion, she fed me with food suited to my condition. Then Vegavati came here with you, and conquered her brother, and saved you; the sequel I do not know.

So I, remembering the magic skill of Vegavati and the announcement of the G.o.d, did not surrender my life, which was supported by the hope of regaining you, and, thanks to the power of the n.o.ble Prabhavati, I have regained you, although I am thus beset by my enemies. But my only anxiety is as to what would happen to us, if Prabhavati here were deprived of her power, and you were so to lose her shape, which she has bestowed on you by way of disguise.

This and other such things did Madanamanchuka say, while the brave Naravahanadatta remained there with her, endeavouring to console her. But one night Prabhavati went to her father's palace, and in the morning Naravahanadatta, owing to her being at a distance, lost her shape, which she had bestowed on him. And next day the attendants beheld him there in male form, and they all ran bewildered and alarmed to the king's court and said, "Here is an adulterer crept in;"

thrusting aside the terrified Madanamanchuka, who tried to stop them.

Then king Manasavega came there at full speed, accompanied by his army, and surrounded him. Then the king's mother Prithividevi hurried thither and said to him, "It will not do for you or me either to put this man to death. For he is no adulterer, but Naravahanadatta, the son of the king of Vatsa, who has come here to visit his own wife. I know this by my magic power; why are you so blinded with wrath that you cannot see it? Moreover I am bound to honour him, as he is my son-in-law, and sprung from the race of the moon." When Manasavega's mother said this to him, he flew into a pa.s.sion, and said, "Then he is my enemy." Then his mother, out of love for her son-in-law, used another argument with him. She said, "My son, you will not be allowed to act wrongfully in the world of the Vidyadharas. For here there exists a court of the Vidyadharas to protect the right. So accuse him before the president of that court [540]. Whatever steps you take with regard to your captive in accordance with the court's decision will be commendable; but if you act otherwise, the Vidyadharas will be displeased, and the G.o.ds will not tolerate it."

Manasavega, out of respect for his mother, consented to follow her advice, and attempted to have Naravahanadatta bound, with the intention of taking him before the court. But he, unable to endure the indignity of being bound, tore a pillar from the arched gateway, and killed with it a great number of his captor's servants. And the hero, whose valour was G.o.dlike, s.n.a.t.c.hed a sword from one of those that he had killed, and at once slew with it some more of his opponents. Then Manasavega fettered him by his superhuman powers, and took him, with his wife, before the court. Then the Vidyadharas a.s.sembled there from all quarters, summoned by the loud sound of a drum, even as the G.o.ds a.s.semble in Sudharma.

And the president of the court, king Vayupatha, came there, and sat down on a jewelled throne surrounded by Vidyadharas, and fanned by chowries which waved to and fro, as if to winnow away all injustice. And the wicked Manasavega stood in front of him, and said as follows, "This enemy of mine, who though a mortal, has violated my harem, and seduced my sister, ought immediately to be put to death; especially as he actually wishes to be our sovereign." When the president heard this, he called on Naravahanadatta for an answer, and the hero said in a confident tone, "That is a court, where there is a president; he is a president, who says what is just; that is just, in which there is truth; that is truth in which there is no deceit. Here I am bound by magic, and on the floor, but my adversary here is on a seat, and free; what fair controversy can there be between us?"

When Vayupatha heard this, he made Manasavega also sit upon the floor, as was just, and had Naravahanadatta set free from his bonds. Then before Vayupatha, and in the hearing of all, Naravahanadatta made the following reply to the accusations of Manasavega; "Pray, whose harem have I violated by coming to visit my own wife, Madanamanchuka here, who has been carried off by this fellow? And if his sister came and tricked me into marrying her by a.s.suming my wife's form, what fault have I committed in this? As for my desiring empire, is there any one that does not desire all sorts of things?" When king Vayupatha heard this, he reflected a little, and said, "This n.o.ble fellow says what is quite just; take care, my good Manasavega, that you do not act unjustly towards one, whom great exaltation awaits."

Though Vayupatha said this, Manasavega, blinded with delusion, refused to turn from his wicked way; and then Vayupatha flew into a pa.s.sion. Then, out of regard for justice, he engaged in a contest with Manasavega, in which fully equipped armies were employed on both sides. For resolute men, when they sit on the seat of justice, keep only the right in view, and look upon the mighty as weak, and one of their own race as an alien. [541] And then Naravahanadatta, looking towards the nymphs of heaven, who were gazing at the scene with intense interest, said to Manasavega, "Lay aside your magic disguises, and fight with me in visible shape, in order that I may give you a specimen of my prowess by slaying you with one blow."